


The Importance of Being Prepared

by KorrinBelle



Series: Domesticia [23]
Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Family Fluff, First Day of School, Hair Brushing, M/M, Phone Sex, kind of a cock tease, little bit of, not mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-19 13:30:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7363204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KorrinBelle/pseuds/KorrinBelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Lily's first day of school and Ryuuji is away on a mission, leaving Rin to fend for himself. Well, not entirely. Normally Rin doesn't really like Ryuuji's need to control and prepare for every single situation, but this is not one of those times. This time he's thankful.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> When I first thought about writing this chapter I planned for it to be the "dad doing their daughter's hair chapter" but in the end I thought Ryuuji would just be much better at it. Not that Rin doesn't try. :')  
> It ended up being another "Rin worrying about his own problems effecting their daughter" chapter. He wants better for her.  
> I've also left it intentionally vague about exactly how old Lily is and what grade this is. The majority of children will be put in to Kindergarten in Japan, but it isn't mandatory, so the curriculum isn't the normal stuff you might assume of a standard education.
> 
> Also~ You might notice this release of Domesticia is slightly different, in that it's actually a 3-parter instead of a one shot. :D The two following chapters will be posted following my regular posting schedule, but are already available on [Patreon](http://bit.ly/25PGACm) for anyone who's interested.
> 
> Thanks as always for reading and reviewing. :D

            Sometimes the way Ryuuji always had to plan and research and prepare for everything really got on Rin’s nerves. He found it draining—always having to follow a schedule—and it was hard to be spontaneous when you had to pencil activities in between three people’s schedules.

            This wasn’t one of those times though. Right now Rin was thankful.

            “Lily! Breakfast is ready!” he called as he plated the food, setting it out for her. His own breakfast was not so neatly prepared, and he’d been eating while he cooked in an effort to save time. “Lily, you’re going to be late!” he called again.

            It was the much anticipated first day of school, and Ryuuji was not there. He’d been called away late the previous night for an emergency mission, leaving Rin to tackle the responsibilities of being a parent on his own. Not entirely alone though. They’d already done a tour of the school, figured out where her class was and met Lily’s teacher, and before leaving on his mission Ryuuji had packed Lily’s backpack with everything she’d need and set out her school uniform for her—he’d even labeled her jacket and shoes so they wouldn’t get lost. All Rin had to do was feed her and get her to school on time. It was turning out to be not such a simple task.

            He knew she was awake—she’d been so excited she’d practically jumped out of bed the moment he went in to wake her—but what was taking her so long?

            He made his way to her bedroom and found it empty. The bathroom door, however, was closed, and he could hear her fumbling about inside.

            Rin knocked on the door. “Peanut, you doin’ okay?”

            The door flew open and Lily stood before him, tears in her eyes, her hair a mess of barrettes and hair ties. She had tried to do her hair herself, and it stood up in bunches at odd angles as she’d failed to properly secure the hair ties around her pigtails.

            “Y-you have to help me,” she sputtered, sniffling pitifully and wiping away tears, “You have to do my hair like Dad does.”

            “O-of course,” he said, trying not to laugh.

            He grabbed a brush and sat down on the edge of the bathtub. She sat between his legs with her back to him and he started to undo her mess, unclipping all the barrettes and trying to remove the tangled hair ties.

            “Ow!”

            “Sorry, Pumpkin. You kinda’ made a mess of it.”

            She hunched her shoulders and Rin could practically hear the pout in her voice.

“Dad doesn’t pull my hair when he does it.”

            “I ain’t doing it on purpose,” Rin said, his own pout in full force, “Besides, Dad normally doesn’t start by having to fix your mess.”

            He finished removing the hair ties and started to brush her hair out neatly, mindful of the tangles she’d created, then parted her hair evenly, more or less, as he tried to remember how Ryuuji normally did it.

            When he finished he sat back to survey his work, pursing his lips in a slight frown. One of the pigtails was too loose and they were lopsided. He undid one of them and tried again, but that result wasn’t much better, and Lily winced as he tugged at her hair, trying to get it to obey. In the end he undid everything and opted for a much easier ponytail, accented with a few sparkly barrettes.

            “How’s that?” he asked as he held her up in front of the mirror. After a moment of intense thought she nodded her head.

            “It’ll do.”

            “Oh, gee… Thanks,” Rin said sarcastically as he put her back down. He wasn’t that hurt though. It wasn’t that Rin never did her hair, but it had sort of become something that Ryuuji and Lily did together, and Rin just wasn’t very good at doing anything fancy. Ryuuji was used to spending large amounts of time styling his own hair, and it had spoiled Lily.

            “Ready for breakfast?”

            “Yeah!” She perked up and raced out of the bathroom, leaving Rin to clean up her mess. When he made his way back out to the kitchen she was already busy gobbling down her meal.

            They were running a little behind schedule by the time she finished eating, but Rin took a moment to inspect her uniform, smoothing out the creases and making sure her buttons were done up correctly. It had been a long time since he’d cared about something like that. The desire to impress teachers and other students had died when he realized most of them had made up their minds about the kind of student—the kind of person—he was, but he would be damned before he’d give them a reason to think anything less than the best of his daughter.

            “Ready?” he asked.

            She nodded quickly, balling her hands in to tiny fists as she tried to contain her excitement.

            “Nervous?” Rin asked as he put on his own coat and shoes.

            She shook her head, but her cheeks were flushed and her mouth was set in a hard line. Rin smiled, snorting to himself. She looked like a tiny warrior going off to fight an unwinnable battle, prepared to go down with a fight for some worthy cause.

            Rin took Lily’s hand and glanced at his watch as they left the apartment. Shit.

 

* * *

 

            They had to run to catch the bus and Lily was out of breath by the time they arrived, even though Rin had carried her part way, only putting her back down once they approached the school. He didn’t want to embarrass her, even if she was still probably too young to care about something like that. He didn’t want to embarrass himself either, or have the other parents or teachers judge him and make assumptions about her in kind.

            The school was bustling with activity. Parents, students, and teachers alike swarmed the school like ants as they all hurried through the final preparations of the big day. Rin clutched Lily’s hand tightly as they navigated the crowd, making their way to her classroom where they lingered beside the door.

            Rin knelt in front of her, brushing her uniform off once more and giving her one final look over to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything even though it was far too late to fix things even if he had. Everything had to be okay. She would make friends. They would like her. Everyone liked her… Well, he might have been a bit biased there.

            “Daddy, are you okay?” Lily asked, and Rin stopped, looking up to meet her eyes. She smiled brightly and threw her arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly while he sat there, stunned.

            “Don’t worry,” she said, “Everything’ll be okay.”

            He blinked, letting the tension ease out of him as he realized how concerned he must have looked if his own daughter was comforting him. He forced himself to smile and laugh, hoping it sounded more confident to Lily than it did to him.

            “Dad went over my numbers and letters with me last night, and I’ll be polite and follow the rules and make lots of friends, so you don’t have to worry,” she said as she flashed him a confident smile, puffing out her chest as she braced her hands on her hips.

            He actually laughed at that. Ryuuji _would_ do that, wouldn’t he—not even in school yet, and Ryuuji was already tutoring her. Well, at least Lily felt prepared.

            At least one of them was doing this properly. Her first day and he’d almost gotten her there late. Almost.

            Rin pulled her in for one last hug and then clung to her, taking a deep breath as he prepared himself to let her go. It was, and at the same time, was not like when he had gone back to work. He was pretty certain she’d only cried then because _he’d_ made a bigger deal out of it than necessary—It wasn’t like that was the first time they’d ever been separated. Shiemi and her mother occasionally watched her. Ryuuji sometimes spent time alone with her to give Rin the day off. She’d even stayed at a daycare or with a babysitter on more than one occasion when everyone had been busy and Rin and Ryuuji had needed to take some time off for themselves. This was… It was different. It marked a much bigger change, not in their relationship, but in Lily’s growth and independence. Once more, he was apparently prepared to make a much bigger deal out of it than she was.

            He felt a little bit as if he wasn’t necessary in her life anymore, even though he knew that was absurd. He was her father. That would never change.

            He released her from the hug and she planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek before turning towards the classroom.

            “Thank you, Daddy! I love you!” she said, waving at him over her shoulder before she hurried in to the room to introduce herself.

            “I- You’re welcome. I love you too!” he shouted after her before she was out of earshot. He wasn’t sure what she had thanked him for, but it didn’t matter. Whatever she needed, he would do it. He would be there even if she didn’t need him, just in case.

            He watched her from the doorway for a moment, making sure she was comfortable and well situated, and then stepped aside. His eyes prickled with tears, and he swiped them away quickly as he retreated from the school, happy as much as he was sad, and not wanting Lily to see him upset. Once he was outside the building and out of everyone else’s way he took a moment to calm himself, contemplating his newfound freedom. He hadn’t made plans with anyone and felt as if he suddenly had no idea what he was supposed to do with himself now that there was no daughter to take to the park or play with, even though there was still plenty of- ugh- chores that needed doing. Well… There was that new issue of manga he’d wanted to buy, and that show he’d wanted to catch up on, and he could always just take a nap. Naps were good. Naps had gotten him through some hard times.

            There was also that interesting cake recipe he’d seen online which he wanted to try…

            Yes. That’s what he’d do. Lily’s first day of school was a pretty big event after all, come to think of it—definitely worthy of celebration and cake.

            The spring had already returned to his step as he left the grounds and made his way back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter of Domesticia is brought to you by VineTabris, [Jaiden](http://jaidenwriteswords.tumblr.com), Senem, and Angerawr. Thank you so much for your support. (´∀｀人)  
> If you like my work please consider supporting me on [Patreon](http://bit.ly/25PGACm) for early access to new chapters and all kinds of bonus content.


	2. Down Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuuji's still away on his mission, but he makes sure he has time to call and talk to Lily about her first day at school before she goes to bed. He has a little time for Rin too of course, before being interrupted.

            The phone rang right around eight, just as Lily was getting in to bed, so rather than listen to a bedtime story she spoke on the phone with Ryuuji until she drifted off to sleep. She relayed her first day at school and he peppered her with questions. Did she have fun? Did she remember to share during recess? Did she like her teacher?

            They went around and around like that until Lily’s yawns made it hard for her to talk and before they knew it Rin was pulling the phone from her limp hand and tucking her in. He kissed her forehead, turned off the light, and slipped out of the room.

            “You still there?” he asked, holding the phone up to his ear.

            “Yeah, I’m still here,” Ryuuji’s voice came softly over the line, “How was your day?”

            “Not bad. Lily was almost late for school, but-”

            “Rin…” It was one syllable, just his name drawn out, but Ryuuji’s displeasure was audible.

            “Hey, I said almost. Geez, give me some credit.”

            Ryuuji snorted. “Did she have any homework?”

            “What kind of evil teacher gives homework on the first day?”

            “I take it that’s a ‘no’?”

            Rin scoffed even as he raced to the front of their apartment where he’d dropped Lily’s backpack the moment they got home.

            “Ch’yeah, that’s a no,” he said, clicking his tongue as he flipped the bag open and dumped the contents on to the floor. Her favorite stuffed animal, a pack of crayons, the remnants of her lunch, and a piece of paper all fell out. Rin snatched up the piece of paper, smoothing out the creases as his eyes darted over it.

            “There was just something for us… about… About the kinds of things Lily will be learning and how we can help her at home,” he said as he finished skimming it. “As if you didn’t already have that figured out.”

            Ryuuji grunted, a noncommittal sound of acknowledgment that had Rin breathing a sigh of relief. Looks like he was off the hook for that lapse in parental attention. Well, he was the “fun” parent anyway. Ryuuji could worry about the boring shit like homework, since he actually enjoyed it.

            “So that was Lily’s day. How about yours? How’s the mission going?”

            Another grunt came through the phone, but this one sounded decidedly less pleased.

            “There’s been a bunch of fires in the city. More than natural, but the fire marshals couldn’t find signs of accelerant.”

            “Oh?”

            “Yeah… Most of the evidence was destroyed by the fires, but someone finally found a torn summoning circle at one of the scenes.”

            “Shit…” Rin cursed, his voice low, “Someone’s using demons to start the fires?”

            “Seems like it,” Ryuuji said, his voice carrying a hard edge. “Hopefully whoever it was learned a hard lesson about summoning demons they can’t control, but under the assumption that they’re doing it on purpose we’re trying to figure out what their next target could be in the hopes of heading them off; looking for connections between the different locations and trying to piece together a motive.”

            “Sounds boring.”

            “ _You_ would think so,” Ryuuji said with a laugh, “But… it’s not bad. Just tense. We need to catch this fucker before someone gets hurt.”

            “Yeah, well if anyone can do that smart detective shit, it’s you.”

            “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Ryuuji said dryly, and Rin laughed. A comfortable silence passed between them, spent just listening to the sound of each other breathing as Rin made his way to the bedroom, closing the door securely behind him.

            “I can think of something more fun to talk about though,” Rin said as he undid his pants and kicked them off to lie in a pile on the floor. He then thought better of leaving them there and promptly put them in the laundry hamper. Ryuuji might not have been due back until after the mission was completed, but if Rin didn’t do it now he’d forget to do it at all and catch an earful about it later.

            “Yeah?” Ryuuji asked when Rin didn’t continue, “What’s that?”

            “What are you wearing?”

            “A-Are you serious?!” Ryuuji choked, sputtering in to the phone, “I’m in the hotel lobby!”

            “Mmm, kinky.” Rin laughed as he dug around in Ryuuji’s dresser, pulling out one of his old oversized shirts and exchanging it for the shirt he’d been wearing.

            “I’m serious, Rin. I’m sharing a room. I didn’t even feel comfortable taking this call where they could listen in, so I came down here before I called.”

            “Does that mean you’re still in uniform?”

            “…Rin.”

            “You know I love a man in uniform,” Rin purred, “Use that tie to drag you down like a dog on a leash.”

            “Rin!”

            “Hey,” Rin laughed, “You don’t have to talk. Just listen.”

            The line was silent for a moment, heavy with the audible pause before Ryuuji gave his answer.

            “…Fine.”

            Rin chuckled breathlessly. “Just in case you were wondering, I’m not wearing any pants.”

            Ryuuji snorted. After a short pause he added, “What else?”

            The fact that his voice was audibly lower, audibly huskier, did not escape Rin as he crawled in to bed, still cradling the phone against his ear.

            “I’m also wearing one of your old shirts.”

            “…Why?”

            “Because it smells like you,” Rin said softly, laughing as Ryuuji sputtered in indignation.

            “It does not! I wash my clothes unlike _someone_.”

            “Maybe,” Rin laughed, “But I can still smell it.”

            He lifted the collar of the shirt and held it to his nose, inhaling deeply and trying not to laugh as Ryuuji clicked his tongue in annoyance, muttering under his breath.

            It was a little weird, but in hindsight Rin had never actually lived alone. Those first few nights where Ryuuji had gone away on a mission while he’d stayed home had left Rin feeling strangely more alone than he had in a long time. The smell of the other man, lingering on his old well-worn clothes was a simple comfort that helped Rin get through the night. He no longer needed it, but it had become a comfortable habit. Like a good luck charm.

            Rin lay back against the bed, groaning lightly as he stretched out against the cool sheets, arching his back before falling slack. Time to get down to business. He licked his lips as he dipped his fingers under the waistband of his boxers, teasing them through the hair that trailed down between his legs.

            “What would you do if you were here, I wonder?” Rin asked. It was rhetorical though. He knew Ryuuji wouldn’t answer, not in any way that would be interesting while he was sitting in the public hotel lobby.

            “Would you touch me?”

            Ryuuji laughed, low and throaty, but still playful. “Of course.”

            “I bet you’d- ah, tease me, not q-quite giving me what I want,” Rin said, his voice catching slightly as he finally touched himself, his fingers grazing along his length. Ryuuji was silent, but his breathing grew heavy.

            “I bet you’d-”

            “Rin, sorry. Stop,” Ryuuji interrupted. What sounded like muffled conversation came over the line, then Ryuuji returned. “Something’s happening. I’ve got to go,” he said.

            The line went dead with a click before Rin had a chance to respond, leaving him sitting there silently with his dick in hand, his arousal turning very quickly to frustration.

            He groaned in irritation and abandoned the phone against the pillow, before quickly finishing himself off. No point in wasting a good erection. Even an angry wank was better than nothing.

 

            It was quarter after three when the phone next rang and Rin jolted awake, fumbling for it in the dark, his mind still groggy with sleep. The number showed it was a work call. He glanced at the time, cursing under his breath before he answered the phone.

            “I’m not on call when Ryuuji’s working,” he mumbled, his voice hard. He was about to hang up when he realized it was Shura on the line and something in her voice had him hesitating.

            “Rin! We need ya’!” she said urgently, “The mission- Suguro is- Tha’ whole city’s on fire!”

 

            The next half hour passed in a blur of motion, obscured under a mind numbing mix of lack of sleep, adrenaline, and cold hard dread as Rin roused Lily from bed and quickly gathered up everything both of them would need before dropping her off at her grandmother’s.

            Lily would be fine; the exorcist supply shop was covered in wards and in a location only exorcists could even get to. Ryuuji was the one who was in danger.

            He’d failed to make it to his extraction point and hadn’t been heard from in over an hour. Rin tried not to think about what that meant, to keep his racing thoughts under control as he made his way to the rendezvous point to receive his orders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter of Domesticia is brought to you by VineTabris, [Jaiden](http://jaidenwriteswords.tumblr.com), Senem, and Angerawr. Thank you so much for your support. (´∀｀人)  
> If you like my work please consider supporting me on [Patreon](http://bit.ly/25PGACm) for early access to new chapters and all kinds of bonus content.


	3. Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin's not the most professional exorcist at the best of times and sometimes he still struggles with controlling his powers. Threaten his family and you might just be risking hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figure Rin's powers still have a lot of developing to do.  
> Shooting fire out of his sword definitely feels like newbie human skills, especially considering his ability to emit fire and set things on fire at will.  
> As always, thanks for reading. :')

            His blood boiled as fire raged through his veins. He didn’t even feel the heat of the flames below, wasn’t even conscious of the wash of heat that blew up from the street or the flaming cinders and dark billows of smoke that clogged the sky with hellfire as far as the eye could see.

            He perched on the edge of the roof, his muscles tense, ready for action. He was fire. He was rage. He was going to kill the person who had hurt his-

            “Rin!”

            Shura’s hand on his shoulder grounded him and some semblance of humanity returned to his eyes as he turned to look at her, even as blue flame still licked across his skin.

            “I know ya’ want ta’ fight, but ya’ can do more good from here,” she said, “The fire’s the real problem. We already got crews in position, so as soon as ya’ give the word…”

            He nodded shakily. Shura was right. Lily was safe, back at her grandmother’s, and as much as he wanted to tear apart the person who’d started this, tear them limb from limb, he had to calm down, to concentrate. Killing always came easy. Everything else? Not so much. Destruction was fire’s key nature, but not it’s only one.

            Ryuuji had given him that—the knowledge.

            After a particularly violent bout of self-doubt—after being told for the nth time that he was dangerous, a menace, a threat on human life that needed to be extinguished, culled, as if he was less than livestock, nothing more than a tool, despite the fact that he had never—not even once!—burned a human by accident or on purpose—Ryuuji had taken him aside to comfort him.

            Secured in Ryuuji’s embrace, his face buried against his husband’s chest to hide his frustrated, angry tears, Rin had listened more intently than he let on as Ryuuji explained how fire was an essential part of many ecosystems; how fire paved the way for new life in thick, growth choked forests by giving them the space and the food that was needed.

            There was even a species of tree whose pinecones could only release seeds after a fire. Fire—something that normally destroyed indiscriminately, leaving nothing but death and destruction in its wake—was a required stage in the tree’s lifecycle.

            That thought was… comforting. Humbling.

            He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting those thoughts comfort him even now as he reached out, feeling the heat within and letting his own flames spread. The exorcists around him gasped as blue fire licked across the rooftop, but Shura squeezed his shoulder, reminding him he wasn’t alone even as he felt himself drifting away from his body, down towards the fire.

            He could taste the stench of another demon on it, but that demon had started the fire and then abandoned it, letting it spread to devour the surrounding city without care. This fire was just that—normal fire—and it gave way to his touch without a fight, drawn to him as if he were fuel, becoming his and turning an intense unearthly blue.

            He continued down the path of the flame, claiming it, feeling it, seeing what it saw and feeling what it felt—the crumbling buildings beneath him, turning to ash at his touch—the hunger, the desire to consume, to–

            He drew himself back slightly, back to the hand on his shoulder, to the human presence beside him. He was okay. He could do this. He had to. Hundreds of people were relying on him, even if they didn’t yet know it. Ryuuji was… He… Rin stopped. He couldn’t afford to think about that now.

            He reached out again, this time quickly, as quick as fire could spread, racing down the streets and through the buildings—empty, crumbling. He pulled the fire back to the street, snuffing it out so it couldn’t spread, and shutting it down before moving on to the next building. He checked the next building and again found nothing—no survivors at least. He ignored the bodies where he found them, but pulled the fire back. There would be time for mourning later. For everyone.

            He checked the next building, and the next.

_There._

            He pulled the fire back to the street, forcing it to abandon the building, and shook himself, forcing his consciousness back to his body.

            “I found some,” he said after he’d gathered his wits enough to speak, “Survivors. At… 1-Chome 5-3. I’ve cleared the way.”

            Shura squeezed his shoulder again and he didn’t wait as the exorcists behind him scrambled to radio in the survivor’s location to waiting rescue teams. He sped off again, no longer needing further instruction.

            Everywhere he went he could feel it, almost taste it, the fear in the air. It was almost palpable. It left a sickly taste in his consciousness, but he needed it, using it to hunt out the survivors. And it went on and on like that, for what seemed like hours, the process of going back to his body getting harder and harder as he lost himself to the flames little by little until…

            There…

            Not fear; something familiar, warm, but not destructive like fire—something that felt comfortably like home.

            Rin brushed up against a magic barrier, recognizing its touch instinctively even as it tried to repel him. Even as fire, Rin felt himself relax as some of the strain he’d been feeling vanished from his shoulders, even if fire didn’t have shoulders.

            It was Ryuuji; holed up in the corner of a building with a group of survivors, safe for the time being behind the force of his will and his shield. His brow was drenched with sweat and darkened with smudges of ash, and he was visibly shaking under the strain of maintaining the barrier, but even as fire Rin could see it when Ryuuji smiled—that self-confident cocky smirk he wore when he realized that the tides had turned and his gamble had paid off. Rin wanted to cry out to him, but fire was incapable of tears, incapable of hugs and smothering kisses that spoke of fear and relief and joy all at once. Those would come later, after the mission when the demons were exorcised and the fires put out. For now Ryuuji was safe. In the meantime, other people needed him too. He had work to do. He could do this.

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter of Domesticia is brought to you by VineTabris, [Jaiden](http://jaidenwriteswords.tumblr.com), Senem, and Angerawr. Thank you so much for your support. (´∀｀人)  
> 


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